Do you turn a baby back over if it chooses to sleep on its side or belly at 4 months old?

Answer 1

You should turn the baby over onto his/her back. It is OK for the baby to sleep on the belly, so long as you are actually watching him/her whilst he/she is asleep.

The reason for this is in regards to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or cot death). Basically research (which I can't reference since I dont remember the papers) suggested that a baby is more likely to suffer from SIDS, if on the belly or the side. In which caseyou should not take the risk... SIDS is when a baby dies in its sleep unexpectedly with no obvious reason.

Answer 2

First off positioning has nothing to do with why a baby suddenly stops breathing. Suffocation is not SIDS so a baby that dies on its tummy because it was face down in the crib or because of a blanket is not SIDS it is suffocation, not the same thing. They have changed the way they rule a SIDS death and suffocation is suffocation it is no longer considered SIDS. My daughter was on her back and still died of SIDS. I joined a SIDS group shortly after she died and guess what....most of the mothers in my group have also stated that their babies were on their backs, sides, in strollers, swings, etc. There were only a couple on their tummy. If a baby dies on its tummy and it was not suffocation then yeah it was probably SIDS but that baby would have died in any position just like my daughter did. A sudden cesation of breathing has nothing to do with positioning or there would be no babies at all dying other than in just one position. People are so hell bent on this back to sleep stuff that they follow it so cautiously along with everything else they have come up with and then like me their baby dies and they are left saying but I did everything I was supposed to. It doesn't matter what you do. Whatever is causing these babies to stop breathing is beyond our control as parents. It is something you have no control over and if it's going to happen it's going to happen. Your daughter should just enjoy her baby, as should you, and not let this overwhelm you. I've had two more and both of them slept in whatever position they wanted, usually on their stomach, and they are both fine. SIDS has been known to happen up until 1 year but the risk decreases after six months. I know three people in my SIDS group that lost their babies at 10 month and two at 12 months. There are also 2 that lost their baby to SIDS while their baby was awake so it doesn't even have to happen while they are sleeping

Answer 3

The only reason they say not to let a baby sleep on his tummy is because it puts them into a deeper sleep then sleeping on there back and it makes it harder for them to wake up
but at 4 months old ur baby should be fine
and if u think about it when we were born most likely ur parents let you sleep on ur tummy
sids is a risk but at that age when they can roll themselves theres nothing u can do

Answer 4

My midwife advised me that if the child rolls in it's sleep, it's probably ok anyway but to set your mind at rest you could try rolling up a cot sheet into a sausage shape and if it's long enough place it like a u-shape at baby's feet so that both sides of baby are bolstered. If you use two cot sheets for the same effect, just place them either side of baby as high as the hips and waist. If any of that makes sense, it will prevent baby from rolling too much.

Answer 5

Hi, I just asked this question a month ago too.

My little girl has been rolling over since she was 3 months old and EVERY time I lay her down on her back she rolls over. I used to go in and flip her and within minutes I'd find her back on her tummy again. I've learned to just relax and let her be. I keep the crib free of blankets and toys ( I use a blanket sleeper on her to keep her warm) and I just check on her every so often. She's now 5 months old and even tries to pull herself on her crib rails (unsuccessfully thankfully LOL) some babies just have their own agenda :)

Answer 6

Once my children started rolling over on their own, I let them sleep however they were comfortable. I put them to sleep on their back. If you wanted to keep a child that is rolling over on their own from sleeping on their belly or side, you'd have to sit there watching them all night, sounds a little over-reactive right? Now, at daycare they had to put them on their backs to sleep and they had to keep them on their back (roll them over) if they turned on their belly or side) until 6 months old, then you could sign a waiver that said if they baby rolled over on it's own then he/she could continue to sleep like that without disturbance (being put on it's back). SIDS is real, it's a risk, but there are all kinds of risks in life. As long as you are putting baby to bed on it's back, I personally don't see a problem if he/she rolls to its side or tummy. You sleep better if you're comfortable right?

Answer 7

I say as long as the baby turned themselves there purposefully, then they are fine to sleep there. You can't stay up all night watching them and as long as they are strong enough to lift and turn their heads I think it is fine at four months to let them reposition themselves to however they like to sleep. I have heard about the increased risk of SIDS with tummy sleepers but ... eventually everyone starts to move around in their sleep and finds a comfortable spot for themselves. My godson slept horribly until at 4 months, the doctor told his mother that he was a strong and healthy baby and to let him roll himself onto his tummy at night. He has been a tummy sleeper ever since.

Answer 8

Recent research has shown that there is a connection between the sleeping positions of babies and cot death. The risk of cot death is greatly reduced if the baby sleeps on their back.
To let your baby sleep on its side is safer than letting it sleep on its stomach, but the most recent studies show that the position is not as safe for your baby as sleeping on its back.
When the baby has grown old enough to begin turning over by itself in the bed, just tuck it in on its back, but don't worry if they turn over later. There is no need to turn your baby back over during the night.

Answer 9

Yes, the baby can suffocate if left like that for a long period of time. I'm sure while the baby sleeps you're focused on other things and may not even notice.

Answer 10

This happened to us at 2.5 mo. The Dr. said yes. So my husband and I stood by the crib and turned him over. 2 seconds later he turned back over on his stomach. We literally did this all night. We worked in shifts. Then the next night same thing. So, because we were so exhausted we pulled him out of his crib and put him in his swing in our room and let him sleep in it for the whole night. Our poor guy didn't care, he just kept sleeping. It was more of my husband who was supper worried about SIDS. This is our first child and we were terrified of SIDS. The third night we put him back in his crib and put a blanket between his legs, and he still turned over. Then we tried stuffing soft triangle blocks on one side to create a wedge. He still turned over and then all these items turned into dangers. So we finally just had to realize that our parents put us to sleep on our stomachs. So we prayed, and that is the way he sleeps. He is now 6mo. The best advice I can say if you tried everything like we did is to get a video monitor and that way you can watch him when he/she sleeps. There were times that we had to go into his room and adjust his head. So if you can turn you baby to his/her back yea do it. But if they just roll back over 2secs later to their tummy....